MIE (TR) – A new roller coaster at an amusement park in Kuwana City came to a halt on Monday, leaving seven riders dangling in the air for some 15 minutes, reports TV Asahi (Apr. 3).
A train on the ride called Arashi, or storm, at Nagashima Spa Land came to an emergency stop at around 11 a.m. at a height of 30 meters. The stoppage was likely due to the triggering of an anti-collision safety mechanism, the operator of the park said.
None of the riders were injured after they disembarked using a ladder. The ride, which launched in March, remains suspended for safety inspections.
A female middle school student who was among those left suspended in the air said she was “very scared while the ride was stuck.”
The safety mechanism works by using sensors on the track that can be triggered by a passing train, which reaches a maximum velocity of 65 kilometers per hour, to determine when to launch the next queued train, the operator told the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 3). On Monday, the mechanism was triggered after a sensor near the platform failed to function.
The operator plans to keep the ride closed until the cause of the malfunction is determined.